jokin

I don't think they can DFA Thomas until they are sure that Mastro is really "ready" to play every day in CF. With Cola starting to hit, do they send him to Rochester to bolster the Wings stretch run (affiliates!)? Here's a curve- how about Romero to Third Base in Minnesota and Sano to Third in Rochester?

You nailed it, Dog. The knee-jerk defenders over-reacted to what was probably the best business move the Twins had left with Jamey (unless maybe Jeter was declared out for the year and the Yankees were competing with the Royals).

No gloating on my part or dismissive tone. I merely made a factual observation and I think you just agreed with me with your own summation. Correia was indeed excellent today. He did what mediocre pitchers are capable of doing when given multiple opportunites, and as in year's past, this has been the key to whatever success Correia has had this year. As I've documented repeatedly, his numbers have come about largely due to facing an over-representation of weak W-L record teams and the bottom quartile hitting teams.

Your declarative statement doesn't necessarily make it so. Please explain further. About $1.5M saved by the Twins.

Exactly right. A classy guy now playing for a manager that likes crafty and crusty veterans bolstering his kiddie corps. Perfect fit at the bottom of the KC order for the Royals stretch run. Best of luck to Jamey.

Well, considering that the trade cut the costs of the remainder of Carroll's contract this year and the $250,000 buyout of next year, which likely totals around $1.5M, and that the Twins will likely end up with $20,000-$50,000 in return for the trade, I'd say Kwak was just about exactly, "Right".

As long as he pitches against the White Sox (ranked last in the AL in hitting) on a getaway day, this type of " lucky" performance is totally expected.

Nowhere did I ignore his current year, thus what you assert is most certainly not a fact.. All of his stats were included in my summation- ala "2010-2013". All stats are complete and accurate as of yesterday. As I stated previously, Stanton got blindsided by the wholesale dismantlement of the Marlins last year. He's publicly wondered about his future and Marlins status ever since. That fact was compounded with his injury this year that have combined to lead to his drop in performance this year (he still has an .805 OPS and a 120 OPS+. With full health and a good lineup around him next year, he's very likely to resume the upper trajectory of his career and he likely has multiple 40+ HR and All Star-level seasons in his future.

The Marlins situation and Stanton's injury-plagued year are hopefully all in the equation of "buying low". With the numbers he's put up since being called up in 2010 at age 20, I'm more than willing to put up with any alleged "rough edges" for a proven major leaguer..... who immediately solidifies the middle of the Twins order.....who doesn't have the growing pains that would have to be endured with finding and establishing a prospect....and...who's put up back-to-back 30+ Home Run seasons at age 21 and 22, while providing elite-level defense in RF.

For 2010-2013, Stanton is 2nd in OPS, SLG and ISO among all qualifying RFs (.886, .536, .270). Jose Bautista is 1st. He's 3rd in Homers, with 106. He's listed as 3rd best RF in UZR over that time frame, behind only Ichiro and Heyward. I guess that's elite for RFs? Plus he's only 23, probably nowhere near his ceiling. The Twins lock him up for his 3 arb years and 5 more, he'd hit a ton of balls out in left field at Target all the way to 2022 (option year?), batting right behind Joe Mauer until at least 2018- with Sano and Arcia batting behind him as protection- Wow.

I sure hope he doesn't need a break. He's a very energetic 19- and by all accounts, an incredibly goal-driven hard worker. In addition, the AFL would love the publicity and hoopla of having the #1 prospect as a showcase talent. I know if he plays I'll make the trip down.

From the AFL website: "Each team can opt to send 2 players below Double A."

He's been on their DL all season. The "45 day" rule complicates things a bit though- I don't see how he would be eligible for the AFL.

We will also soon have an opening at 1B for some of those prospects, as well. Stanton would be perfect in Target Field, whereever the Twins end up playing him, he's currently shellshocked by what was done to him in Miami. Make him the offer to buy out his arb years and the beginning of his FA, and you tell Stanton that you're building the team around him, in RF, LF, 1B, whereever. As far as the cost in acquisition.....Look at what was acceptable to the Marlins in exchange for Nolasco, not much.

Yeah, I changed it. What would it take to get both from the Marlins?

He's arb eligible in 2016.

I thought it was 2 players below AA that can be put up for the AFL draft. Buxton and Zach Jones are at the top of my list. (Is Nate Roberts healthy enough for a return trip to the AFL? He needs the ABs, for sure). (Adam Brett Walker?) (Wimmers is on the AA or AAA roster). Isn't Josmil Pinto restricted to playing only in Venezuela in the winter?

1) No. As stated before, Sano is leading the league in SLG and 3rd in OPS if he qualified. He's made his adjustments at the plate, succeeded in the field and has only been distracted by injury and a discipline issue. 2) Possibly a good argument, but..... I don't see how it's possible that a guy with this much talent and the Twins with this much need, would make an issue of his available options ever come into significant consideration. You haven't said it, but in response to others that have said it....MIGUEL SANO IS NOT AARON HICKS!!! 3) I agree that he's likely to open in AAA, but I really don't think he has much left to learn in the minors--- except developing a little more maturity to aid in a smooth, seamless and no-turning-back transition to the Twins. Again, the numbers he's accomplished this year prove he's in a very, very rarefied class of baseball hitting talent (there's nothing left to "prove"!). And, as others have previously posted, the Twins 40-man roster is chock full of never-weres and never-will-bes, there will be no fretting about whether adding Sano now or next June would make any difference to the future fortunes to the club.

Given that this type of enforcement of "unwritten rules" has been going on since the Reds were still called the Red Stockings, I doubt Selig will do much more policing on the issue than what's already in place.

I'm guessing that going into September of 2012, the Twins had no intentions of calling Hicks up in 2013 until June, at the earliest- thus no September call-up urgency. When the Phillies called about Revere, everything changed, and the Twins were caught in a chess game having not looked 2-3 moves ahead on possible optional roster approaches. I hope they learned that lesson well and call up all of the legitimate prospects in September, Pinto, Rosario, Sano......(Buxton? probably a bridge too far...).

If the Twins are sincere about rewarding performance with promotion (and I think they generally are), Sano's amazing season deserves a September call-up---- likely more than any recent Twins prospect. I concur that a short stint in the playoff run for Sano (and Rosario) with AAA Rochester would also be a win-win: for affiliate harmony.... as well as how own personal, as well as team and organizational, development. Service time issues would make little difference in a September call-up- If Rochester extends a playoff run into the second week of the month, Sano could perhaps get a 2 and a half-week cup of coffee with the Twins. A taste of the big time now would ideally get him charged up for next year and perhaps help in maturity-gains about carrying himself like a big-leaguer about his going into 2014, rather than it being an all-new experience. Ideally, a Wil Myers-type schedule for promotion occurs next year, with Sano banging down the door to starting Twins 3Bman, in May or June.

Uhhh.... two days in a row, and two very young stars spent an unacceptably long time admiring their home run shots, and were summarily "rewarded" for their "transgression" an AB or two later with plunkings. I refer of course to Bryce Harper and J-Upton. These sorts of "attitude problems" have ways of getting themselves sorted out through the MLB system of justice. Considering what transpired in those 2 situations, I'm not too concerned with promoting Sano sooner rather than later.....Truth be told.... with Twins management confirming that Sano's defense is no longer an issue, Sano has little left to improve upon facing minor league pitchers. Do you still have doubts? Here's further evidence- although Sano's AA BA is abnormally low, there really is very little to be concerned about. For example- if Sano qualified among the Eastern League statistical leaders, his SLG of .559 would lead the League. His OPS of .914 would be 3rd in the League. Furthermore, Sano's BB% is better in the EL than in Class A+ (13.8% vs. 11.9%), while his K% is only !% worse in AA over A+. His Isolated Power rate is nearly identical (.321 vs .325). The one stat that stands out is mostly luck-related. His BABIP at New Britain is only .267, which is way, way below his normal minor league BABIP production number, which has been anywhere between .307 and .422 (it was .397 at Ft Myers this year). I think you'll find that once that BABIP inevitably normalizes (maybe not enough PAs left in this season), Sano's production will look pretty similar to previous seasons. Remember he has 11 HR in 168 PAs at New Britain, and 16 HRs in 243 PAs at Ft Myers, almost the identical rate of HR production per PA. Bottom line, Sano will be fine.....believe in Ryan when he says how much he thinks of Miguel as a human being- the club needs to turn the page and get an infusion of his type of youthful energization in turning this moribund franchise around. I appreciated Deduno's frustrated passion in the dugout last night. Let's get more of that, not less. Get him up here in September, and get him positioned for a fast track to full-time at 3B at some point early on in 2014.

Do you have the link for the Butera mirthful muse? I missed it. I don't think enough has been made of the bitter irony of the Twins starting outfield now starting for Rochester, instead. I wonder how many times that has ever happened to a major league club in the same season?

Yeesh, I thought only near-40-year old catchers ended up looking that disfigured. But still, Jamey was the highlight of the night....and..... the Arby's Value Player of the night! Pretty sad state of affairs when your most effective pitcher last night was the one who hadn't taken the mound in......... 25 years! Of the last 3 Twins position playing pitchers, I'll take Drewbie.....the guy could sling it at around 94 MPH.

4.29 ERA in June, w/ 1.40 WHIP and .775 oOPS. 6 starts against 6 bad... to very bad.... teams in June. Doesn't meet my own standard for "just fine", but that's just me- I see June as mediocre Kevin Correia, as usual- I pray for a return to KC "mediocrity".